Baggage compartments with lowerable troughs are usually arranged above the middle seating group in a passenger cabin. The facility to lower the troughs, on the one hand, does not restrict the passenger's freedom of movement when the troughs are in the closed, lifted position. On the other hand, the storing and removal of baggage is comfortably achieved when the troughs are lowered.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,942 (Steidl) discloses an overhead baggage compartment with a lowerable trough for the storing of baggage. The trough is connected by two quadrilateral bellcrank type links to the inside of a box-like housing which is open at the bottom and has two side walls, so that the trough can be swivelled downwardly out of its closed stowed position into its open loading and unloading position. Each quadrilateral bellcrank link comprises an upper lever and a lower lever, whereby the joints are arranged in their front regions almost vertically above one another to connect both of these levers to the corresponding side walls. During the swivelling out into the open position, the trough carries out a coupling movement. The pivot joints on the trough side are chosen, so that the loading opening of the trough in its pulled-down and swivelledout position, is fully accessible. A pneumatic spring is provided, which is intended to work against the weight of the load and thereby should support the closing of the compartment. This pneumatic spring works on the upper lever and is supported by the pivot joint of the lower lever which is connected to the housing. The connecting pivot point of the pneumatic spring on the upper lever is so arranged that the line of force application of the pneumatic spring in the opened position of the trough, runs through the pivot joint of the upper lever on the housing side. In the closed position of the baggage compartment, this line of force application has its largest distance from said pivot joint. Thus, during closing of the baggage compartment, a growing moment becomes effective on the upper lever and reaches its maximum moment in the closed position. This moment is so directed that it supports the closing movement. This moment, while aiding the manual force needed to close the baggage compartment, even when the trough is loaded with baggage, opposes and thereby increases the manual force needed to open even the empty baggage compartment.